https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Austria in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Austria’s nine-week school summer break is a joy for children, but for many working parents it means a patchwork of camps, annual leave, grandparents, home office and careful budgeting. https://www.thelocal.at/20260708/be-somewhat-creative-how-do-working-parents-in-austria-cover-the-long-summer-holidays Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:56:46 +0200 be-somewhat-creative-how-do-working-parents-in-austria-cover-the-long-summer-holidays Austria is introducing two new subjects for older AHS pupils: “Media and Democracy” and “Informatics and Artificial Intelligence”. Here’s what parents should know. https://www.thelocal.at/20260708/what-austrias-two-new-school-subjects-mean-for-international-families Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:03:40 +0200 what-austrias-two-new-school-subjects-mean-for-international-families Austrian kids have plenty of opportunities to go on holidays, with small breaks throughout the year and their big summer holidays. Here are the dates for 2026. https://www.thelocal.at/20260504/when-are-austrias-school-summer-holidays-in-2026 Mon, 04 May 2026 16:09:53 +0200 when-are-austrias-school-summer-holidays-in-2026 Austria is making summer schooling mandatory for children who can't speak fluent German as part of efforts to boost integration. Here's how many students have registered for the programme so far this year. https://www.thelocal.at/20260525/how-many-students-have-registered-for-austrias-mandatory-summer-school Mon, 25 May 2026 15:33:43 +0200 how-many-students-have-registered-for-austrias-mandatory-summer-school Austria is planning a reform to the Matura – the nationwide school-leaving exams – set to take effect from 2027. https://www.thelocal.at/20260515/the-planned-changes-to-austrias-school-leaving-exams Fri, 15 May 2026 16:29:29 +0200 the-planned-changes-to-austrias-school-leaving-exams Two Vienna nurseries just two kilometres apart are trying a simple experiment to tackle one of the city’s harder education problems: children growing up in very different language environments before they even start school. https://www.thelocal.at/20260508/two-vienna-nurseries-try-to-bridge-the-citys-language-divide Fri, 08 May 2026 14:31:41 +0200 two-vienna-nurseries-try-to-bridge-the-citys-language-divide New figures from Vienna’s education authority give a clearer picture of which religious groups are sitting in the city’s classrooms, at least in primary, middle, special and polytechnic schools. https://www.thelocal.at/20260506/in-numbers-new-figures-show-the-religious-makeup-of-viennas-schools Wed, 06 May 2026 15:35:57 +0200 in-numbers-new-figures-show-the-religious-makeup-of-viennas-schools Austria’s Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr has presented a 76-page reform plan that would change everything from kindergarten standards to lower secondary school subjects and student testing. https://www.thelocal.at/20260422/what-austrias-new-education-reform-plan-would-change-for-pupils-and-parents Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:10:53 +0200 what-austrias-new-education-reform-plan-would-change-for-pupils-and-parents The lack of German language skills and cultural differences in Austrian classrooms are hot topics among the far right and in some local media. But figures show a nuanced picture, with many foreign children integrating successfully. https://www.thelocal.at/20260413/how-well-are-foreign-school-pupils-integrating-into-austrian-schools Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:59:43 +0200 how-well-are-foreign-school-pupils-integrating-into-austrian-schools Austria’s coalition government has agreed to introduce a social media ban for children under 14, after days of negotiations over how the measure would work. https://www.thelocal.at/20260327/austria-agrees-plan-to-ban-social-media-for-children-under-14 Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:41:28 +0100 austria-agrees-plan-to-ban-social-media-for-children-under-14 Austria’s ban on headscarves for girls under 14 in schools has drawn criticism from rights groups and experts ahead of its planned introduction in September. https://www.thelocal.at/20260327/austrian-headscarf-ban-for-schoolgirls-triggers-protests-and-legal-concerns Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:05:01 +0100 austrian-headscarf-ban-for-schoolgirls-triggers-protests-and-legal-concerns Foreign residents who come to Austria with children or begin a family face plenty of culture shocks when it comes to schools. Here's what readers had to say about the education system. https://www.thelocal.at/20260319/stuck-in-the-80s-what-international-families-struggle-with-at-austrian-schools Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:43:11 +0100 stuck-in-the-80s-what-international-families-struggle-with-at-austrian-schools Every year, children in Austria, including foreign born infants, must take the MIKA-D test to assess their German skills. But why is this test facing such heavy criticism, and could it soon be reformed? https://www.thelocal.at/20250318/does-austrias-german-test-for-schoolchildren-do-more-harm-than-good Tue, 18 Mar 2025 12:22:25 +0100 does-austrias-german-test-for-schoolchildren-do-more-harm-than-good Austria’s parliament has approved mandatory summer schooling for children with low German levels as part of efforts to boost integration. https://www.thelocal.at/20260121/austria-makes-summer-school-mandatory-for-children-with-low-german-levels Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:10:58 +0100 austria-makes-summer-school-mandatory-for-children-with-low-german-levels Austria has been ranked one of the strongest countries for its level of English, yet many foreign residents find the locals reluctant to speak anything but German. Why is there such a gap? https://www.thelocal.at/20251120/austrians-ranks-among-worlds-best-english-speakers-but-do-they-ever-use-it Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:15:10 +0100 austrians-ranks-among-worlds-best-english-speakers-but-do-they-ever-use-it From registration deadlines to key documents and language tests, here’s how to navigate your child’s entry into the Austrian school system in Vienna. https://www.thelocal.at/20251110/what-parents-need-to-know-about-applying-for-viennas-state-schools Mon, 10 Nov 2025 17:58:40 +0100 what-parents-need-to-know-about-applying-for-viennas-state-schools Austria is rethinking how children learn German as a second language at school, giving teachers more say in what works best for their pupils. https://www.thelocal.at/20251104/what-will-change-in-austrian-schools-to-help-foreign-children-learn-german Tue, 04 Nov 2025 12:46:22 +0100 what-will-change-in-austrian-schools-to-help-foreign-children-learn-german Vienna’s free municipal kindergartens are in high demand, and places often go to full-time workers. Could unemployment cost your child a spot? https://www.thelocal.at/20251103/can-you-lose-your-childs-vienna-kindergarten-spot-if-you-leave-your-job Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:35:23 +0100 can-you-lose-your-childs-vienna-kindergarten-spot-if-you-leave-your-job Vienna is preparing a larger team of specialists to support children’s German in kindergartens from early 2026. Here’s the outline of who is being trained, when they start and what it means for families. https://www.thelocal.at/20250918/how-vienna-will-boost-language-support-in-kindergartens-from-2026 Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:06:51 +0200 how-vienna-will-boost-language-support-in-kindergartens-from-2026 Homeschooling is banned or heavily restricted in several European countries. It is allowed in Austria, but under clear limitations, and its popularity is declining sharply recently. https://www.thelocal.at/20220211/reader-question-is-home-schooling-legal-in-austria Fri, 11 Feb 2022 17:16:36 +0100 reader-question-is-home-schooling-legal-in-austria